Sore Loser
by forever-obedient
Summary: It's the semi-final that's sure to go down in history and the venue is none other than the 2014 Quidditch World Cup! Japan vs Bulgaria! Neither team has managed to take home the Cup in years past and only one can win tonight. If they want to keep their dreams alive and make it to the finals, they'll have to pull out all the stops!


A/N: So this is the first fanfiction story I've ever written, and I'm kind of doubting I'll write any others in the future. But feel free to review with compliments and/or criticisms. Or favorite if you liked it that much, which I hope you all do!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha or J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter.

Sore Loser

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><p>She didn't think she had ever seen anything like it before. The atmosphere in the stadium was overwhelming; the sheer volume of the thousands of witches and wizards crowding the stands was deafening. Her very first Quidditch World Cup and she was pretty sure she'd be catching flies in her mouth all night long at the rate she was going.<p>

"Kagome! Hurry up, dear, or you'll be lost in the crowd."

Kagome Higurashi snapped out of her awestruck daze at the sound of her mother's stern voice. She hastily ran to catch up to her mother and younger brother, who was just as starry-eyed as she was, if not more so. The small family unit was steadily and slowly, thanks to the masses of fellow fans surrounding them, making their way up to the Top Box. Panting and exhausted by the time they all made it to their seats, Kagome found herself debating whether or not the view was worth all the effort it required to get up there―

"Took you long enough, wench!"

Her best friend and the reason she and her family had scored such amazing seats despite being on the lower end of middle-class, Inuyasha. His face set in a scowl as per usual, although it lacked any real malice letting her know that he was actually happy to see her. They had been friends since their first year at Mahoutokoro School of Magic when Kagome had chewed out a third year Nigimitama*, Koga, for calling Inuyasha a "stupid half-blood." If only she had known beforehand that Koga would go on to stalk her for the rest of the year and the four after that, she wouldn't have dared speak a word to him.

Kagome, in a familiar gesture, smacked him on the arm and glared half-playfully, half-seriously in response to his crude greeting. Her brother on the other hand, couldn't wait to run up and perform their well-practiced, "secret" handshake. _I swear, of all the people to idolize, Souta picks him?!_ She honestly had no idea when her brother had started to look up to Inuyasha as such a role model, and she wasn't entirely sure it was a good thing either. Oh Inuyasha definitely had his moments, but mostly there's just the foul language and the stubborn, pig-headed, idiotic, 5 year-old behavior. He has his moments, but Kagome doesn't have to think hard about why she was able to get over her schoolgirl crush on him in their fourth year so quickly. Not only were their mutual friends, Sango and Miroku, both not for it, but there's the small fact that he started dating her Kushimitama** cousin, Kikyo, that same year.

"Well it wouldn't have taken so long if there weren't so many people! I thought I was going to have an acute case of claustrophobia down there, which isn't even a thing, but I'm sure someone will have it by the end of the night!" Kagome ranted heatedly.

Inuyasha threw her a dry look, "Keh. Of course it's packed! Japan hasn't made it to the World Cup since '94!"

"Yeah, Sis! It's so awesome! The Dragons haven't looked this promising since the Inu no Taisho was Seeker!" Souta cut in looking excited enough to burst right out of his skin.

Inuyasha gave a smug smirk at that. He hadn't known his dad because the Inu no Taisho had passed away in a freak accident soon after Inuyasha was born, but he'd watched enough footage of the Dragons and heard enough stories from his mother to be convinced of his father's legendary greatness.

Souta had on an ear-to-ear grin as he said, "Sesshomaru is going to _kill_ Bulgaria! They don't stand a chance, even with Krum coming out of retirement!"

Inuyasha's expression fell into a deep scowl. Kagome couldn't help but roll her eyes. _He's been a diehard Dragons fan his whole life, but now that his brother is the new team Seeker suddenly he's considering cheering for the opponents? Ridiculous!_

"HELLO LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WITCHES AND WIZARDS! WELCOME TO THE 427TH QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP!"

Kagome jumped in surprise as the announcer's booming voice rang throughout the entire stadium. She, along with her brother and Inuyasha, got up from their seats to stand against the railing as the announcer continued speaking.

"TONIGHT, WE WILL WITNESS WHAT IS SURE TO BE A MATCH FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS! TWENTY YEARS IT'S BEEN SINCE THE JAPANESE DRAGONS HAVE COLORED OUR SKIES GREEN, RED, AND WHITE! NOW, THEY ARE FINALLY READY TO RECLAIM THEIR GLORY OF THE OLD DAYS AND MAKE HISTORY BY BECOMING THE FIRST JAPANESE NATIONAL QUIDDITCH TEAM TO WIN THE WORLD CUP! SAY HELLO TO THE DRAGONS!"

Fireworks were shooting out into the open air of the arena, green, red, and white. One giant, red firework filled the sky in the shape of a ferocious dragon. Kagome was stunned speechless, but found herself screaming excitedly along with all the other Japan fans when the team members suddenly came flying through the mighty jaws of the dragon. None were fiercer looking than the Seeker and Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomaru. He was the epitome of deadly focus and dominating power. Kagome felt a chill race through her at the sight, raising goose bumps all along her arms and legs. She could _feel_ his determination to win and almost pitied his opponents.

"WHAT A SHOW LADIES AND GENTS! THAT DRAGON WAS TRULY FRIGHTENING, BUT IF ANYONE CAN TAME THE BEAST IT'S THIS YEAR'S UNDERDOGS! THEY MAY HAVE LOST THE LAST TWO TIMES THEY WERE HERE, BUT THAT'S ONLY MADE THEM MORE DETERMINED TO WIN TONIGHT! GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR BULGARIA!"

Colorful fireworks littered the sky yet again, only this time they took the form of the Bulgarian mascot, the Veelas. The men in the crowd were instantly enchanted at the spectacle of the dancing, ethereal women, including the announcer who was left stuttering into the mic.

Kagome reached over to pinch Inuyasha's face, "Inuyasha! Snap out of it!"

He spluttered indignantly as he awoke from his trance, turning red in the face for the second time that night while Kagome simply rolled her eyes.

The fireworks faded as the Bulgarian team members flew onto the field, breaking the collective trance of every male in the audience. The announcer seemed to find his wits as he took up his wand/mic again to finish speaking.

"WELL, HA HA, AHEM! I MUST SAY THAT'S EMBARRASSING EVERYTIME BUT IT CERTAINLY MAKES FOR _QUITE_ THE ENTRANCE! NOW, I THINK WE'VE ALL WAITED LONG ENOUGH, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

A shot rang out and then it was chaos. Kagome could hardly make sense of what she was seeing. As soon as the cannon was fired and the quaffle released, both teams burst into motion at speeds almost too fast to see clearly.

"OOH! IT LOOKS LIKE JAPAN GETS FIRST POSSESSION OF THE QUAFFLE! THE DRAGONS ARE OFF TO A GOOD START! AND WHAT'S THIS? I MUST BE MISTAKEN! NO, I'M NOT! THAT IS INDEED THEIR SIGNATURE MOVE, RIGHT OFF THE BROOM! THE TSUNAMI!"

Confused, Kagome turned to her brother to ask what "The Tsunami" was, but he only _shhh_edher and told her to watch. Overall, it mostly just looked like a bunch of spinning maneuvers that were _maybe_ inspired by Japanese martial arts.

"CHASER YAMAGUCHI HAS THE QUAFFLE AND HE'S FLANKED BY BOTH JAPANESE BEATERS! HOW ARE THE BULGARIANS GOING TO BREAK THROUGH?! OOH! AND YAMAGUCHI PERFORMS AN AMAZING SPIN TO EVADE BULGARIAN CHASER, LEVSKI! AND HE'S PASSED IT TO THE OPEN KUROSAWA, WHO QUICK PASSES TO WAKAHISA! WAKAHISA ELBOWS A BEATER OUT OF HIS WAY! YIKES, DRAGANOV IS GOING TO BE FEELING THAT ONE LATER! AND WAKAHISA PASSES YET AGAIN TO YAMAGUCHI WHO KICKS IT INTO THE HOOP! SCORE FOR JAPAN―"

The crowd roars in enthusiasm! Everyone in the Top Box is out of their seats. Souta pumps his fist in the air and Kagome jumps up and down.

"MERLIN'S BEARD! I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT I'M SEEING FOLKS! KUROSAWA HAS KICKED THE QUAFFLE FROM _BEHIND_ THE MIDDLE HOOP TO WAKAHISA WHO KICKS IT INTO THE LEFT HOOP TO SCORE AGAIN! AND THAT, MY FRIENDS, IS THE TSUNAMI IN ACTION!"

The screams of the crowd reaches a new decibel with the back-to-back scores. Inuyasha and Souta high-five and Kagome's cheeks begin to hurt from how long she's been smiling. The rest of the game is a blur. Bulgaria scores. Japan scores. The teams seem to be evenly matched after Japan's initial special move. They're neck and neck when tensions rise again.

"FOLKS, IT SEEMS LIKE THE BULGARIAN SEEKER HAS SPOTTED THE SNITCH! KRUM'S DIVING TOWARDS THE GROUND! HAS HE REALLY SPOTTED THE SNITCH OR IS HE PULLING HIS FAMOUS WRONSKI FEINT?! JAPAN'S SEEKER SEEMS TO THINK IT'S REAL, HE'S CLOSING IN FAS― WHAT'S THIS?! THERE'S A BLUDGER HEADED RIGHT FOR KRUM! THERE'S NO WAY HE CAN AVOID IT― BUT VULCHANOV HAS FLOWN IN! HE'S TAKEN THE HIT AND SAVED KRUM AT THE LAST SECOND! OH, BUT HE'S FALLING; LOOKS LIKE HE'S OUT COLD! SOMEONE SAVE HIM!"

The crowd gasps, several fans scream in fear.

"MERLIN'S BEARD! JAPAN'S SEEKER IS DIVING TO SAVE VULCHANOV! THEY'RE GETTING AWFULLY CLOSE TO THE PITCH! IS HE GOING TO MAKE IT?"

Kagome's eyes widen. She grips the railing hard, her knuckles turning white with the pressure. She can't breathe.

"HE'S DONE IT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! SESSHOMARU HAS SAVED BULGARIA'S BEATER AGAINST ALL ODDS! THAT STUNT RIVALED EVEN THE BEST WRONSKI FEINT! BUT AT THE EXPENSE OF CAPTURING THE SNITCH― HOLD ON! I DON'T BELIEVE IT; KRUM HAS PULLED UP AT THE LAST MOMENT AND LET THE SNITCH GET AWAY! IT SEEMS AS IF WE'RE HAVING A REGULAR TEA PARTY HERE, PEOPLE! PLAYERS SAVING OPPONENTS, SEEKERS LETTING THE SNITCH ESCAPE! ARE THERE ANY CUT-THROAT COMPETITORS IN THIS GAME?!"

At this, the crowd started to _boo_ the announcer aggressively and some people were actually trying to throw their food at him. Souta was shouting in outrage and Inuyasha yelled for him to, "Shut the fuck up!" Even Kagome felt like violently strangling the man who had obviously gotten a little _too_ into the game.

"HEH, AH―UM, MY APOLOGIES! I TAKE IT BACK! EXCITEMENT OF THE GAME AND ALL! REALLY, IT'S JUST WONDERFUL HOW THESE PLAYERS ARE SHOWING TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP OUT THERE! AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL― OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! SESSHOMARU HAS SPOTTED THE SNITCH AGAIN! BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S CLOSER TO KRUM! WILL HE BE ABLE TO CATCH UP?!"

Kagome scoffed at the announcer's obvious insincerity, but quickly became nervous again as she watched Sesshomaru shoot by the Top Box on his Yajirushi world-class broom. He was gaining on Krum quickly.

"THEY'RE ALMOST NECK AND NECK! FROM CLEAR ACROSS THE STADIUM! I DON'T THINK I'VE SEEN ANYONE FLY THAT FAST BEFORE! THIS JAPANESE SEEKER IS DEFINITELY A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!"

The cheers of the audience died down. It seemed like everyone was waiting with baited breath.

"AND KRUM HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! THE GAME IS OVER; BULGARIA IS MOVING ON TO THE FINALS!"

Scarlet fireworks shot into the sky as the Bulgaria fans shouted their elation into the night. The Dragons fans fell silent, soaking it all in, the excitement of the game and the eventual loss. Kagome pulled her brother in for a somber hug somewhat against his will. He looked like he needed one though, if the tears streaming down his face were any indication.

"Keh! We'll definitely win next time, kid." Inuyasha tried to cheer Souta up in his gruff manner, ruffling his hair a little.

When Inuyasha says it though, that means it will for sure happen, at least in Souta's eyes. The teen brightened and managed a hopeful smile. He couldn't wait until 2018 for the next Quidditch World Cup. Kagome graced Inuyasha with a thankful smile, to which he responded by crossing his arms with a "Keh" and an uncomfortable frown.

Trying to get down from the Top Box was arguably even more of a challenge than trying to get up to it. Somehow, in the chaos of the disappointed Japan fans trying to leave the stadium and the Bulgaria fans who all seemed to have completely lost their minds at their team's amazing win, Kagome managed to get separated from Inuyasha and her family. Instead of trying to fight her way through the hordes of people, she decided to make her way back up to the relative peace of the Top Box which wasn't actually that far since it hadn't taken her that long to get separated.

Standing in the box alone, she was just staring out at the pitch remembering the happenings of the game. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she failed to notice another person enter the room.

"Everyone has left." A deep, masculine voice echoed in the otherwise empty compartment.

Kagome jumped, caught off guard. She whirled around to face the intruder nearly giving herself whiplash in the process. Her eyes widened.

"Sesshomaru!"

He raised an eyebrow when she said nothing else.

She felt the resulting blush as it painted her cheeks. "I got lost. In the crowd, I mean. So I figured I'd wait here until it was less… crowded."

"Hn." He moved towards her.

She babbled morosely, "I'm sorry the team lost. I really thought we'd win it this time!"

"..." He stood in front of her.

She exclaimed brightly, "You were amazing though! I didn't know you could fly like that!"

The eyebrow rose again.

Her eyes widened again.

She stuttered, "I mean, not that I doubted your abilities for a second! I always knew you were amazing―ARE amazing! I just hadn't really seen you fly like that before in person! You were incredible, really! Next time, we're for sure going to win. I just know it! You―"

Her voice cut off suddenly when his hand reached up to cup her face gently. She stared up at him with her innocent, doe eyes.

"You― Why do always let me ramble on and on like that?!" She narrowed her eyes at him slightly miffed.

"..." He was close, his face just inches away from her own.

"Seriously! Say something, anything!" She glared up at him expectantly.

"Hn."

And before she could tell him that "Hn" definitely did _not_ count as saying something, he closed the almost nonexistent gap between them and kissed her soundly. She tensed briefly before responding back reluctantly.

When they broke apart for air, she said, "Why does it always feel like you kiss me just to shut me up?"

He leaned in, kissing her again softly. "You talk too much."

She looked equal parts affronted and exasperated as she lightly punched his chest, but she immediately followed the action by grabbing the fabric of his team uniform to pull him in for another, more heated kiss.

Pulling away she stomped towards the exit childishly stating, "That was only because you looked like a sad puppy that just lost its favorite toy!"

Sesshomaru smirked and couldn't help thinking of what she'd do if he _won_ his next match.

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><p>*Nigimitama= friendship in Japanese (Mahoutokoro's equivalent of Hufflepuff House)<p>

**Kushimitama= wisdom in Japanese (Mahoutokoro's equivalent of Ravenclaw House)

A/N: Thank you to MiyakoDea and ForgottenOncePromised for pointing out the house names to me; you guys were totally right! I had meant to make them different originally and completely forgot, and now they're even better than what I was originally planning in my opinion. In case anyone wants to know, Mahoutokoro's "Gryffindor" and "Slytherin" houses would have been "Aramitama" (courage) and "Sakimitama" (love) respectively. Based off of the four souls that Midoriko used to create the Shikon no Tama in Inuyasha.


End file.
